So ..(Steve hates people who starts a sentence with so!)
So .. when a 9 month old puppy totally freaks for no apparent reason it leaves everyone around him a little flummoxed. When this puppy is well socialised, outgoing, bordering on cocky and usually doesn't give a flying feck about any sight or sound it is a beyond confusing! But it is exactly what happened yesterday. Ross had been in the hall with Loki for about 20 mins, he was his usual annoying self. He was pulling towards everything and everybody. Poking his nose up a Sheltie bottom, in a cage full of Chinese Cresteds and prancing with a Goldie. The owner of the Goldie even said to her dog, "leave the pup alone he doesn't look like he needs any more winding up," we smiled at each other .. yeah everything was normal.
Then without sight or sound that we could hear or see Ross changed into a quivering wreck. I quickly passed Loki over to Ian as Ross was obviously distressed and even started to shake. He was watching everything and everybody with such intensity and jumping around nervously at every sound. I tried walking him round the hall but he was so nervous and behaving like something there was behind him the whole time. The steward in the ring noticed we were having problems and came out to offer help. She went over Ross, that was no issue but still he was jumpy and unsettled. Rightly or wrongly I took him in his class and though he won it he couldn't concentrate and was jumping and looking round in all directions. The judge was lovely with him and said as she went over him " Your not happy with all this are you young man." He truly wasn't and had I been judging he would not have won, but I guess he stood to be gone over and though unsettled he did go round. After the challenge where he was equally unhappy with Tracy I took him out into the van for a break. About 30 mins later I took him back in, guess what? He was fine, it was like nothing had ever happened, all forgotten, happy Ross was back in the building. Though unplaced in the group, Ross gave a faultless performance. He was settled, happy and playful!
I guess we will never know what happened yesterday. It's one of those situations where you'd like to ask him "What upset you mate?" There was certainly nothing to see, but off course what he may have heard that we could not may be a different kettle of fish. Interesting I was talking to Sue and her Malamute puppy had also freaked out mid morning. There must have been something a sound or a smell that caused him so much distress ... but what? This is not a nervous puppy, nothing bothers him in life, honestly I haven't a clue!
I can only compare it to one previous experience, years ago when Krizzie was a puppy we had an odd experience with her. I'd shown her in breed classes in the morning and was waiting for the Puppy bitch class outside the ring when she had a similar response to the judge in the ring. In a field full of people she was terrified of him and had n't even gone in the ring yet. As he went over her in the class she shook and as I moved her round the ring she didn't take her eyes off him. She won too that day, but on character alone she shouldn't have done. After I came out of the ring I told the show secretary how upset I was with her behaviour and how outgoing and bubbly she normal was. Her reply was "I guess she can see something that you can't, he buried his wife 10 days ago!" Well hell it gave me the shivers! A lot of you knew Krizzie, the clown the joker .. a bubbly and happy lady, and you can understand how out of character that was for her, but at least I had an answer, a reason for her once in a life time odd behaviour and I could see this man was the cause of her distress. With Ross I've no idea what upset him unless it was the up and coming earth tremor, during the time he was upset he seemed to be freaking and turning to look in all directions and I can only think really that he was hearing or sensing something that we were oblivious of.
Anyway, moving on ... Loki showed well, though someone commented he put very little effort into his movement. For me he did all I needed of him on a shiny leisure centre floor. Sadly he stood alone in his class and was pipped to the post for BOB by his sister Bella from the PG class. Bella was also unplaced in the group, no surprise there considering who was judging it!
We had some lovely photos taken outside after judging - nice ones of Bella and Loki but I'm most chuffed with the photos of Ross. I'm honestly struggling to pick the best, I'm so pleased he's looking so well.
